Free The Promise Pact (Promise to Love Book 1) by J. A. Fraser Page A

ago. I didn’t agree to this to cause you more pain. That was never my intention.” He shifted in his seat. “I know it’s hard to believe but I’ve changed. I’m not the same stupid kid you remember.” The confession ripped something from him and softened Kaya’s heart, just a little. He hadn’t meant to confess so much but it was necessary.
    “Look Max, I made a promise to Ms. Roy years ago and I intend to keep it. She wanted us to work on the garden together and that’s what we will do. Can we do that?” Without thought she reached over and placed her hand on the table, making sure not to touch his. It was a peace offering.
    He nodded then smiled.
    They polished off the delicious appetizers and then the salmon and asparagus. Max was impressed with her culinary skills and she enjoyed his company. They both purposely avoided the topic of what happened the night before, keeping the conversation light and humorous. Something was happening between the two of them, something out of their control but it felt good and normal. For the rest of the afternoon, they reminisced in the warm southern sun. It was exactly what they both needed in order to make the garden a success.
    ***
    The next morning they arrived at the Edna Roy Community Garden. The garden was a ghastly sight, filled with weeds, rotten vegetables and shrubs.
    “This is horrible Max, where do we start?” Kaya uttered, shaking her head and removing her oversized sweater. The lacy top underneath clearly showed off her curves and perfectly toned arms. Max took one glance and looked away. He wasn’t going to have blue balls tonight. The sound of young children snapped him back into reality. At least a dozen children from inside the community center came running out to see the two people who would help restore Ms. Roy’s vision.
    An old cheerful woman with grey hair spoke, “You must be Max and Kaya. The children have been climbing up the walls to meet you both. I don’t think some of them slept last night knowing that their two favorite characters in Ms. Roy’s stories would be coming today.
    “Stories? What stories?” Max asked as he was interrupted by a stout little girl with red pigtails saluting him.
    “Oh my goodness, are you the majestic, brave warrior Max?”
    Kaya chuckled with delight.
    “It’s Princess Kaya! It’s Princess Kaya.” A dark haired boy shouted as he immediately bowed in adoration. A group of giggly girls, all dressed in pink, attacked her with hugs.
    The old woman’s face danced with enjoyment. “Everyone, everyone, please settle down so we can welcome Princess Kaya and King Max.” The overly anxious children bounced up and down and cheered loudly.
    “I’m so sorry, I’m Ms. Thomas. As you can see we are so glad you are both here.” But not everyone was, Max looked uneasy. Instinctively, Kaya moved in closer to protect him from all the hugs and tugs but the damage was done.
    Max breathed deeply. Ms. Roy’s letter hadn’t indicated that babysitting children would be a part of the process. What was going on? His parents had destroyed his life and he wasn’t in any shape to be a role model to anyone. The problem was that his royal subjects weren’t going to allow him to get away that easily.
    “King Max, I am your most loyal subject. What role do I have in this enchanted forest?” The small red headed beauty close to his side asked.
    “Time out little one. I’m not responsible for assigning roles.” He nearly shouted looking her squarely in the eyes.
    Kaya could see the discomfort on Max’s face and quickly stepped in.
    “Okay everyone. King Max and Princess Kaya will assign duties to each of you once we return from the hardware store. In the meantime, we need you all to be on your best behavior for Ms. Thomas. We will be right back.” Then she quickly bent down and planted a kiss on the head of each one of her loyal subjects then directed Max to the car.
    ***
    “Are you okay?” Kaya chuckled after her seat